Editor's Desk

Editors Desk – How the list was picked

5/30/2012 By: Kevin Hogan

Well, that was fun. Our third annual Big10 feature is in the books, which means that the conversations can begin! Each year the editors get questioned about the selection process: What about teachers? How could you have picked him/her? Why didn’t you pick ME?!

The best way to answer may be to explain how we don’t select the Big10. There is no rubric. The men and women profiled this month are subjective picks culled from the hundreds of people our editors, reporters, and advisors came across during the course of the past year. We rely on our colleagues at organizations such as COSN and ASCD, who perform due diligence for their own particular award programs. We also ask you, our readers, to nominate candidates online at techlearning.com. We go over that list. Then we go over it again. And then we go over it again. Secondly, the Big 10 is not a “sponsored” list. While some of the corporations highlighted are also advertisers in these pages, there is no quid pro quo involved. Lastly, this is not a popularity contest. I expect that you may never have heard of more than a few of this year’s winners.

Ultimately, the Big10 is Tech&Learning’s honor roll of people who we feel are making, or have the potential to make, the greatest change in the world of edtech. We congratulate and welcome them into this prestigious group of leaders we have profiled over the years. Have someone you think should be considered for next year? Send me a note and we’ll consider them. I look forward to continuing the conversation.

— Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director
khogan@nbmedia.com